Altruistic personality

The Altruistic Personality ( Altruistic personality ) (synonymous term: pro-social personality ) refers to the enduring tendency to think about the welfare of others, compassion for them to feel and to show them a blessing (see Penner & Finkelstein., 1998). The altruistic personality is a dispositional determinant of prosocial behavior . The most important components of the altruistic personality are:

internal belief in control
Just-World-Faith
dispositional empathy
social responsibility .

In addition, the altruistic personality is characterized by low Machiavellianism and a high level of moral judgment . Retrospective surveys of people who protected Jews from persecution by the Nazis in the Third Reich and of first-aiders after traffic accidents essentially agree with regard to the personality traits of the helpers compared to a control group of non-helpers. These can be interpreted as virtues in the sense of philosophical ethics .

Individual evidence

^ Penner, LA & Finkelstein, MA (1998). Dispositional and structural determinants of volunteerism . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 525-537.
↑ Bierhoff, HW, Klein, R. & Kramp, P. (1991). Evidence for the altruistic personality from data on accident research . In: Richard Gross: Psychology, the science of mind and behavior (6th ed.), 2010
↑ Bierhoff, HW, Klein, R. & Kramp, P. (1991). Evidence for the altruistic personality from data on accident research . Journal of Personality, 59, 263-280.
↑ Oliner, SP & Oliner, PM (1988). The altruistic personality. Rescuers of Jews in Nazi Europe . New York: Free Press.
↑ Jeffries, V. (1998). Virtue and the altruistic personality . Sociological Perspectives, 41, 151-166.
↑ Borkenau, P. (1996). Prosocial behavior . In M. Amelang (ed.), Encyclopedia of Psychology, Series VIII: Differential Psychology and Personality Research (Vol. 3): Temperament and Personality Differences (pp. 377-406). Göttingen: Hogrefe.

[1] Penner, LA & Finkelstein, MA (1998). Dispositional and structural determinants of volunteerism . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 525-537.

[2] Bierhoff, HW, Klein, R. & Kramp, P. (1991). Evidence for the altruistic personality from data on accident research . In: Richard Gross: Psychology, the science of mind and behavior (6th ed.), 2010

[3] Bierhoff, HW, Klein, R. & Kramp, P. (1991). Evidence for the altruistic personality from data on accident research . Journal of Personality, 59, 263-280.

[4] Oliner, SP & Oliner, PM (1988). The altruistic personality. Rescuers of Jews in Nazi Europe . New York: Free Press.

[5] Jeffries, V. (1998). Virtue and the altruistic personality . Sociological Perspectives, 41, 151-166.

[6] Borkenau, P. (1996). Prosocial behavior . In M. Amelang (ed.), Encyclopedia of Psychology, Series VIII: Differential Psychology and Personality Research (Vol. 3): Temperament and Personality Differences (pp. 377-406). Göttingen: Hogrefe.